Experts at a conference underlined the need for taking solid steps to effectively explore and utilize natural resources, especially coal to meet the country’s growing energy needs.
Presenting Energy Vision 2030 at a conference titled, “Solutions for Energy Crisis”, organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and Hanns Seidel Foundation, Islamabad Dr Shaukat Hameed Khan, Vice Chancellor Sir Syed CASE-Institute of technology said there was grave dichotomy at the policy base which resulted in offering quick and effective solutions to the power shortage problem being faced by the country.
“The energy system was not attuned to technology which determined the demand supply equation and there were home grown solutions available and coal above every other resource offered a natural option but planners had been neglecting these for over three decades now,” he said. Unless the new government harmonized its fragmented governance in this respect it would be hard to end power outages anywhere in the near future, he said, adding that the country would need $210 billion in the next 20 years to meet the growing energy needs. He favoured coal-based energy but since mining of Thar coal could take long Pakistan should import coal for immediate use in place of diesel and furnace oil.
Amidst this hard and realistic account of the state of energy a very emphatic and bright presentation was made by a young scientist Salman Qaisrani, Director, CWS Technologies, who claimed that the Coal Water Slurry Combustion Technology offered the cheapest, quickest and most workable solution in the short and medium term as it was based on local coal reserves of Thar. The present thermal power units now using expensive imported furnace oil could easily be converted to use this formulated material which would reduce by one third the present cost of power. He claimed the entire changeover could be accomplished in six months to one year, saying it was not a new technology and was in use in Russia and China while India was using it through imported coal.
Earlier NA Zuberi, Managing Director, Private Power and Infrastructure Board, said the private sector was producing the bulk of the electricity (46 %) but shortage of fuel and funds was constraining generation growth.
He said work was apace on the feasibility of Mega Power Parks based on imported and local coal. If these parks materialized the country’s energy shortage would end, he added.
Advocate Ameena Sohail, senior associate at IPS, spoke on impact of 18th Amendment of the constitution on energy generation and called it merely cursory as much remained to be done by the Council of Common Interests (CCI) that needed to be activated in this regard, particularly in respect of the Strategic Plan of 1992.
Barrister Aeman Maluka spoke on energy conservation efforts which she said only existed on paper as the policy of self regulation by industries was a failure in the absence of an overseeing mechanism. She said environmental taxes also could not be imposed in a country where tax theft was rampant. Dr Nazir Hussain of QAU spoke on diplomacy and international dimension of energy management.
